Sitting judge faces corruption charges

SC gives nod for departmental case

The Supreme Court has consented to a government decision to file a departmental case against former district judge of Cox's Bazar Mokhtar Ahmed, now a special judge of Jamalpur district, for his alleged involvement in corruption while serving as the district judge.
The apex court also asked the government to appoint the Chittagong district judge, Nurul Huda, as the investigation officer in the departmental case, sources said.
Earlier, when allegations of corruption was raised against Mokhtar Ahmed, the law ministry appointed Dhaka’s Administrative Appellate Tribunal member and district judge Abdur Rahman Masud to conduct an investigation against him. During the investigation, judge Masud recorded statements of seven top lawyers of the Cox's Bazar District Lawyers' Association.
The lawyers said that Mokhtar was involved in corruption, according to the preliminary investigation report.
The report also mentioned that following the allegations raised by Khagrachhari lawyers against Judge Mokhtar, the lawyers of the Cox's Bazar Bar Association sent a resolution to the law ministry so that the judge could not enter the district after his transfer from Khagrachhari.
According to the preliminary investigation report, Mokhtar resorted to corruption while disposing of four criminal cases -- No. 715, 801, 1332 and 1451 of 2012 -- while he was the district judge of Cox’s Bazar.
Following the investigation report, the law ministry on January 31 this year sent it to the Supreme Court seeking its approval to file a departmental case against the judge for his involvement in corruption.
After scrutinising the law ministry’s proposal, the apex court, on Sunday, sent the file to the law ministry, giving its approval to file a departmental case against judge Mokhtar on charges of corruption.
Now, the law ministry will take steps in this regard, a senior official of the Supreme Court
said. Talking to The Independent, Law Secretary Abu Saleh Sheikh Md Zahirul Haque said he is yet to get the Supreme Court’s approval copy. "After receiving it, we will take steps in this regard," he added.
The law ministry is also likely to file a departmental case against Chandpur District and Sessions Judge Md Mafizul Islam who exempted two accused from a murder case after being allegedly contacted by one of them over his cell phone.
Earlier, the Supreme Court asked the law ministry to initiate the process of filing a departmental case against Mafizul in connection with the incident.
On May 31 last year, Tawfiq Azim Mishu, plaintiff in a case filed in 2012 over the murder of his uncle Liakat Ullah, lodged a complaint before Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, alleging that Mohammad Ehsan, an accused in the case, contacted Judge Mafizul over his cell phone 22 times between March 17 and April 15 last year, according to the investigation report.
Ehsan and his father Main Uddin Hossain Tunu, the main accused, were exempted from the case on April 8 last year around two years after the IO of the case submitted to a magistrate’s court the chargesheet against 19 people, including the two.
The file of Judge Md Mafizul Islam has been sent to the President for his approval. After getting the approval, the ministry will take the next course of action, a senior official of the law ministry said.

 

 

 

Sitting judge faces corruption charges

SC gives nod for departmental case

The Supreme Court has consented to a government decision to file a departmental case against former district judge of Coxs Bazar Mokhtar Ahmed, now a special judge of Jamalpur district, for his alleged involvement in corruption while serving as the district judge. The apex court also asked the government to appoint the Chittagong district judge, Nurul Huda, as the investigation officer in the departmental case, sources said. Earlier, when allegations of corruption was raised against Mokhtar Ahmed, the law ministry appointed Dhakas Administrative Appellate Tribunal member and district judge Abdur Rahman Masud to conduct an investigation against him. During the investigation, judge Masud recorded statements of seven top lawyers of the Coxs Bazar District Lawyers Association. The lawyers said that Mokhtar was involved in corruption, according to the preliminary investigation report. The report also mentioned that following the allegations raised by Khagrachhari lawyers against Judge Mokhtar, the lawyers of the Coxs Bazar Bar Association sent a resolution to the law ministry so that the judge could not enter the district after his transfer from Khagrachhari. According to the preliminary investigation report, Mokhtar resorted to corruption while disposing of four criminal cases -- No. 715, 801, 1332 and 1451 of 2012 -- while he was the district judge of Coxs Bazar. Following the investigation report, the law ministry on January 31 this year sent it to the Supreme Court seeking its approval to file a departmental case against the judge for his involvement in corruption. After scrutinising the law ministrys proposal, the apex court, on Sunday, sent the file to the law ministry, giving its approval to file a departmental case against judge Mokhtar on charges of corruption. Now, the law ministry will take steps in this regard, a senior official of the Supreme Court said. Talking to The Independent, Law Secretary Abu Saleh Sheikh Md Zahirul Haque said he is yet to get the Supreme Courts approval copy. After receiving it, we will take steps in this regard, he added. The law ministry is also likely to file a departmental case against Chandpur District and Sessions Judge Md Mafizul Islam who exempted two accused from a murder case after being allegedly contacted by one of them over his cell phone. Earlier, the Supreme Court asked the law ministry to initiate the process of filing a departmental case against Mafizul in connection with the incident. On May 31 last year, Tawfiq Azim Mishu, plaintiff in a case filed in 2012 over the murder of his uncle Liakat Ullah, lodged a complaint before Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, alleging that Mohammad Ehsan, an accused in the case, contacted Judge Mafizul over his cell phone 22 times between March 17 and April 15 last year, according to the investigation report. Ehsan and his father Main Uddin Hossain Tunu, the main accused, were exempted from the case on April 8 last year around two years after the IO of the case submitted to a magistrates court the chargesheet against 19 people, including the two. The file of Judge Md Mafizul Islam has been sent to the President for his approval. After getting the approval, the ministry will take the next course of action, a senior official of the law ministry said.